The invention pertains to a device for the rapid detection of flames, notably a hydrocarbon fire, particularly in an armored vehicle.
In a combat vehicle, the fuel tank is generally found inside the armoured car which constitutes this vehicle; it lines a large part of the walls of this vehicle.
The weapons with which these vehicles are attacked are explosive missiles with hollow charges which concentrate the heat energy at one point and act like welding torches to pierce the armour. The missiles also go through the fuel tank; as a result, the fuel vaporizes in the cockpit and quickly catches fire in an explosive manner. Protecting the personnel inside the armoured vehicle thus requires the automatic and rapid detection of a flame or an explosive in order to actuate, again automatically and rapidly, an extinguisher in the cockpit
To clarify the picture, it can be pointed out here that it is estimated that, as a rule, not more than 150 milliseconds must elapse between the start of a fire and its extinction if the personnel are not to suffer first-degree burns.